Europe’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, claims that the ever-widening rift between Europe and the U.S. is currently being driven by one thing:  Religion. He claims the U.S. is viewing the world in a religious context, and basing their foreign policy accordingly—in black and white—wrong vs. right. He points to the type of language that the White House has used since September 11th: “With us or against us,” “rogue states,” “axis of evil,” “right and wrong,” “good and bad.”

Europe, he says, finds this difficult to handle due to their largely modern, secular cultures. The “moral clarity” of America is therefore nearly impossible to duplicate in Europe. Solana believes that a religious society perceives wrong in terms of moral choice and free will, whereas a secular society looks for the causes of wrong in political or psychological terminology.

In the end, Solana remains optimistic and interestingly concludes, “Let me tell you, I do not despair. Some of us profoundly disagree with Bush. But it may push the European Union to become much more of an actor in the world. We have an obligation to do so.” More than an obligation, this has been prophesied in the Holy Bible to occur.

This American “morality” may indeed be due to the fact that their society (i.e., the fundamentals of their Constitution) was to some degree, based on the principles of God’s Law—the Ten Commandments. It may therefore be, to this day, their collective mindset to view the world in black and white—right vs. wrong. Unfortunately, they have long ago forgotten the Author of these laws and decided for themselves what is right and what is wrong. In doing so, they have developed a rebellious, decadent lifestyle. They have forgotten the source of their national blessings. They have long relied on their own strength and intelligence to attempt to solve their problems.

Source: Financial Times